Another report confirms higher CO2 levels could cause more floods
Yet another report has concluded that increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere could cause more flooding. This report by the Met Office found that CO2 caused by human activity is affecting the ability of plants to absorb water through their roots. The Met office used a computer model to see how this would affect water levels. The model used CO2 concentrations of 550 parts per million (ppm), the current levels are 381ppm. The computer simulation showed that because plants would absorb less water, areas at risk of flooding would see higher water levels, but areas prone to drought would have more water, as less would be absorbed by the plants. Richard Betts, a computer modeller from the Met Office said: “It's a double-edged sword. It means that increases in drought due to climate change could be less severe as plants lose less water…On the other hand, if the land is saturated more often you might expect that intense rainfall events are more likely to cause flooding.”
The report, published in the journal Nature suggests that this effect could cause a 6% increase in river flows, whereas the extra rainfall could cause an 11% increase. Not good news for people with houses close to rivers or in flood plains. We really have to get to grips with climate change and take the necessary steps to reduce our carbon and methane gas emissions sooner rather than later.
